The present invention relates to a kitchen appliance, in particular a food processor, having a main body and a pivot arm, which is arranged pivotably on the main body at a bearing.
Food processors or universal food processors are usually electrical kitchen appliances which are used, as is known, for kneading, stirring, grating, pureeing, or extracting juice. These appliances consist of a main unit with a stirring or collecting dish and various attachments, such as a cutter, mixer attachment, grinding mill, or juice press, as well as various inserts (cutting and grating disks, kneading hooks, pounding and stirring heads). In order to carry out these functions, food processors exhibit a plurality of processing tools. The processing tools can be disk-shaped, drum-shaped, or spherical. Some devices allow for the attachment of individual kneading hooks or eggbeaters. Stirring or collecting dishes are integrated in the device or can be removed; in part, some tools are permanently integrated. Some additional devices are complete units (mincer, juice press), which only make use of the drive system of the processor. The revolution speed with electrical devices can in most cases be regulated in several steps, or is infinitely adjustable. To connect the processing tools, food processors exhibit at least one interface or coupling point, which is set up to connect tools to the electrical drive system.
These food processors exhibit essentially an L-shaped main housing with a horizontal base piece. A processing dish can be arranged on this horizontal base piece, in which the desired ingredients can be processed with the aid of the tool. These generic food processors further exhibit an extension arm, which is attached to the main housing with the aid of a joint. The extension arm exhibits a series of coupling points for said tool. In order, for example, to be able to remove the processing dish, the extension arm exhibits a pivotable bearing point on the main housing, such that, by tilting the arm upwards, the processing dish can be easily removed. A further advantage of the pivotable bearing of the extension arm on the main housing is the possibility, for example, of space-saving storage of the food processor, since the extension arm can be fixed in a perpendicular position. In this position, moreover, additional coupling points can be provided, for a mixer attachment or the like, for example.
In order to control the pivot movements of the extension arm, the devices comprise different appliances on the main housing. WO 2008/132429 A1 accordingly discloses a universal food processor of the type cited, with an extension arm, the movement of which is controlled with the aid of an elastic spring. The kitchen appliance further exhibits a damping means, which counteracts the spring force in order to avoid an uncontrolled folding out of the arm. The damping means corresponds to a hydraulic damper and, according to WO 2008/132429 A1, can exhibit different degrees of damping. This arrangement has proved to be inflexible and complicated, since the spring force exerts a corresponding torque onto the pivot arm, which corresponds to a unilateral outwards pivoting of the arm. Moreover, with this arrangement it is essentially not possible to guarantee a vertical position of the pivot arm.